I bumped into William the other day as he ran last minute errands in preparation for a trip to California. Some highly anticipated stops on his itinerary include, San Francisco, Yosemite, and Joshua Tree. I thought that his look was a perfect way to transition into a vacation that mixes cosmopolitan with nature. His look is complete: a scarf to keep your neck warm when a cool breeze blows your way; an ever handy cardigan for cool mornings or nights; a white cotton button-down, perfect for the summer heat; the essential cut-off jean shorts; and a pair of slip-ons that you can easily slip off at the beach, or when at a park, to run your toes through a patch of plush grass.

Hello there. Sorry I've been away. My terrible two-year old (his birthday was yesterday; we munched on meatballs and rosemary-roasted potatoes and he blew out candles atop a home-made brownie cake) spent the past week in Paraggi, a seaside town located just over a mile from Portofino. One would think that I would have shot tons of pictures, but when your travel companion is a two- year old, travels with more clothes and gadgets than Madonna on tour-I'll explain later, you're lucky if you put on your bathing suit right-side out. Which I failed to do one day. I did, however, manage to take a couple shots of the picturesque surroundings from my dear friend Sami's garden.

Back to my Madonna comment. A couple of my friends and I attended her Sticky and Sweet performance here in Milan two weeks ago. AMAZING. SHE'S 50. I'LL BE 33 on Thursday. She can perform for three hours in nosebleed-high heels while my collection of vertiginous babies are relegated to the cab ride and dinner table! Anyway, as we were leaving the stadium, we walked past a sea of pink trunks with the inital M stamped top and center and the words WARDROBE tumbling after. I was forced (scared that security would apprehend me, but none-the-less forced) to hug one. And while I was hugging, I read the words ambiance. The trunk was as big as my worktable, almost 3 x 7 feet. Those are a lot of candles. And her highness deserves every one of them!!!!!!!

Ok, this photo is totally gratuitous for those who love boats. This is the Maltese Falcon, a mega-sailing yacht created for venture capitalist Tom Perkins back in 2006. It was anchored in Paraggi Bay for about two days. I would run to the garden every morning to check if it was still there. Dreams of sunbathing on deck in my favorite Etro kaftans and bikinis. I know, I am totally delusional, but what's wrong with a totally extravagant daydream every now and then? Especially now that I am back home in Milan, armed with my camera, and headed outside to confront the 90.5 degrees of street style that await me.